Online information source for semiconductor professionals

Product Briefing Outline: Cabot Microelectronics Corporation has launched its new CMP polishing pad, the Epic D100, which is the result of extensive research intended to deliver a step change improvement in CMP pad life and pad-to-pad consistency. Customers are successfully qualifying and using the Epic D100 for dielectric, shallow trench isolation, tungsten and copper processes. The new pad is already being used in production and is being evaluated by multiple customers, according to the company. Read more >>

Product Briefing Outline: Mallinckrodt Baker is making the BAKER CLk-870 residue remover available as a cost-effective wet clean product designed to remove inorganic residue and post-etch/ash polymer from 90nm single-wafer processes. According to Mallinckrodt Baker, BAKER CLk-870 residue remover provides fast cleaning action and low process temperatures, making it an ideal chemistry for silicon nitride, copper and delicate low-k substrates. Read more >>

Product Briefing Outline: Rohm and Haas Electronic Materials' CMP Technologies has introduced a number of new products in two different product lines. The company has unveiled several new additions to its ‘VisionPad' line of polishing pads as well as a new series of ‘IC1000' pads known as ‘IC1000' AT series pads. Read more >>

Product Briefing Outline: Micro Photonics Inc. has launched its new Sarfus visualization technology, a new optical quantitative imaging technique for highly precise 3D thickness, dimensional, roughness, profile and step height measurements.  Sarfus visualization is based on the perfect control of the reflection properties of polarized light on a Surf (specific supporting plates where the sample is deposited), which leads to an increase in the axial sensitivity of the optical microscope by a factor of approximately 100 without reducing lateral resolution, according to the company. Specific optical properties can be manipulated by controlling the layers deposited on the substrate, and can be customized with specific top layers such as SiO2, Au, Cr or Al. Read more >>

Product Briefing Outline: HORIBA Jobin Yvon has introduced the MM-16, a spectroscopic ellipsometer dedicated to the advanced characterization of film thickness and optical constants for a broad range of materials such as semiconductors, compounds, alloys and organic thin films. Read more >>

Product Briefing Outline: Metron Technology has launched its ‘Aquareus' system, in what it claims is the semiconductor industry's first and only point-of-use (POU) solution for abating copper from a CMP system's effluent stream. The Aquareus system's simplified treatment process enables chipmakers to meet the stringent liquid discharge limits at a lower cost and with less risk than complex back-pad methods, according to the company. Problem: A typical CMP tool running in production generates effluent containing approximately one hundred kilograms of copper per year. Aquareus concentrates copper by a factor of 200:1 for greater efficiency and cost-effectiveness than back-pad copper abatement methods. The Aquareus system's point-of-use design allows process flexibility and incremental growth capability as semiconductor fab operations expand. Read more >>

Product Briefing Outline: BOC Edwards has launched a new ‘EPMA'(electroplated metals abatement system) product, which offers simplified liquid waste treatment and lower cost of ownership than conventional approaches. Read more >>

Product briefing outline: ISIS sentronics has launched the SemDex 300 series wafer metrology system, that is designed to provide user defined thickness maps of substrates or other (multiple-) layers (for e.g. SOI) at repeatable rates down to 50nm. A wide range of materials including silicon, GaN, GaAs, SiC, Glass, Potoresist etc...can be evaluated, ranging from minimum 3-5µm up to about 1000µm. Other features such as bow/ warp, flatness, and wafer stress are also performed as well as surfacing profiling for mini-bumps can be achieved by exchanging the sensor head. Read more >>

Product Briefing Outline: MKS Instruments has developed the ‘LIQUOZON' LoopO3 fully integrated ozonated water delivery system. The system is designed to be an environmentally friendly and cost-effective alternative to existing semiconductor cleaning technologies, especially in low flow applications. The system is compact and stand-alone and features fast cycle times and up to 12 L/min of DIO3 at ozone concentrations to 40/75 ppm, ideal specifications for single wafer applications, according to the company. Read more >>

Product Briefing Outline: ATMI has introduced a new copper electrochemical deposition process for producing semiconductor chips with advanced copper interconnects in partnership with Enthone and Novellus Systems. The new chemistry and process were developed for Novellus Systems' SABRE tool for the 45nm process node. The ATMI-Enthone ‘Viaform Extreme' process is claimed to offer significant enhancements that meet stringent performance requirements for low defect rates, uniformity, and electrical performance.  The chemistry and associated processes have been validated at leading semiconductor manufacturers, according to the companies. Read more >>